The Deception of the Shadow King
by Sanguine Ageha
Summary: Why must you confine yourself to your clipboard, your accounting ledgers, and your loneliness?


**Disclaimer: **Ouran High School Host Club is and will never be mine, because Bisco Hatori owns it.

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**The Deception of the Shadow King**

by Sanguine Ageha

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It's always the same afternoon in the Third Music Room. You are sitting on the corner because you prefer it that way, the notes on your trusty clipboard keeping you company most of the time. You leave the hosting to the others because you only talk to the customers for two reasons: welcoming them (sometimes on your own, sometimes with the group), or charming them and then promoting products they can buy to raise the club's funds.

From where you sit you can hear all kinds of noise. You can hear girls giving off dreamy sighs at one of Tamaki's heartwarming love confessions somewhere behind your back. On your right, you can vaguely make out two girls squealing at the incestuous brotherly love Hikaru and Kaoru are good at displaying. To your left side is Honey-senpai's adorable voice mingling with the others in a conversation, and the monotonous replies are surely from Mori-senpai.

And a few feet away from your location is a table with four people occupying it: three are customers and one is a host. Ironically, all of them are girls. No one amongst the huge female population in this room seeking entertainment knows the "natural rookie" only looks like a boy but is biologically a girl. It remains a secret to everyone except to the Host Club members. And it has to stay that way.

You find yourself glancing at her, the special student, every now and then. This is not something new for you; you do it so often that sometimes you ask yourself what you can possibly gain by casting furtive looks. There is no reason for you to feel that she is not doing her job; her designates are steady and growing with each passing day. You inform her to take care of the expensive costumes she wears for the club activities, because even the smallest stitch that's out of place will add to her debt. But you also bribe her with the tempting reward of having a portion of it cut off after she accomplishes a mundane or outlandish task for the club.

You are the third son of the prestigious Ohtori family, and you are a person who likes benefits. You pay attention to people when there is something possible to gain after helping them or if you know they can give you a lot of advantages in the future. But you ignore them when they cannot contribute anything to you or when there is nothing interesting to achieve.

Fujioka Haruhi is not rich like everyone in the school is, and there are no known merits that you can get from her. Still, you continue to watch her when no one is looking, when _she_ is not looking. Focusing your gaze on her does not add millions to your billions. Doing it does not make you obtain worthwhile rewards that may help you in your coming endeavors whether or not you become the official heir.

You give her another look and she finally catches you. Your face shows surprise but your cheeks do not burn with embarrassment or turn into an interesting shade of red. She blinks confusingly at you, seemingly quite unsure of what your purpose is or why you are eyeing her, but she smiles anyway. And you choose to respond by pushing your glasses up the bridge of your nose and diverting your attention back to your clipboard.

Why do you have to be harsh to yourself, Kyouya? Why must you confine yourself to your clipboard, your accounting ledgers, and your loneliness? She offers a smile and acknowledges the attention you give, even if it is for a brief moment. Yet you act indifferently and tell yourself the exchange is nothing.

You think too much of status and gaining that it affects your feelings and attraction to Haruhi. Do you not realize that she can give you what material wealth, power and prestige cannot? Are you oblivious to the fact that her smiles make you feel at ease inside?

You ignore me because I offer you the most sensible of explanations in a whirlpool of "logical" thoughts you use as a shield around yourself. To me, I label them "irrational" because you always persuade yourself that there is no merit in the commoner girl as far as rich people's standards goes—namely, yours. However, you can never deny the fact that your mere interest in her is growing deeper, especially when she gives fascinating insights on some matters and feel content even with the smallest of things.

Haruhi shows simplicity through and through, and you are a boy who pretends to be an egoist. To her you are the Shadow King: cold, conniving, distant. But to you she is your breath of fresh air, your release, your everything.

Unfortunately, you pay no attention to me because, as you subtly put it, I only spout empty words. This does not happen once, not even twice, and definitely not thrice. You do this every time I am winning, when you know that I am right and you are wrong, when I am winning by making you understand that you are slowly falling for Haruhi. But just like all the other times, you disregard my insights as if they are ludicrous when they are not.

It's always the same circular argument as long as this issue is the topic. It's always the same afternoon in the Third Music Room.

**Owari**

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Take a wild guess whose POV is it. ;D (And no, it isn't Renge. XD;;)

The idea for this one-shot came to me while I was trying to finish my Tamaki x Haruhi one-shot. It pretty much left me in a blank state of mind in between typing it and thinking of the right sequence order. I had a lot of ideas I wanted to express but my brain transformed into gooey mush during the process. Still, I strived to write it as best as I could.

This is my second Kyouya x Haruhi fic (despite the mild hinting of the pairing or of the one-sidedness) so I hope I didn't do bad or what. I'm beginning to wonder if I can even write a fic with this pairing that could end somewhat happier. O-o Time could only tell, I think.

Nonetheless, thank you for reading and don't forget to review :D


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